


Late Nights

by neuroticphysiologist



Series: Immediate Thunderbirds are Go Shorts [10]
Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Drinking, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Nightmares, set a few years later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24910033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neuroticphysiologist/pseuds/neuroticphysiologist
Summary: Some late night fics with Scott and Alan, written for Sensory Sunday. Renamed to compile two fics.1. salted chips and few shots of brandyHe felt like he wanted one, after all the stress and tough rescues... and failed ones too.2. Familiar VoicesHe tried to find a way out but the voices kept bothering him.
Series: Immediate Thunderbirds are Go Shorts [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726036
Kudos: 10





	1. salted chips and few shots of brandy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He felt like he wanted one, after all the stress and tough rescues... and failed ones too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alan is me in this fic.
> 
> I suck at giving titles, I apologize.
> 
> Contains language. Just slight.

Late night and Scott's at his father's desk, busy with the reports. He still stays up at night, like he usually did back then. His father was out for the night to meet with his friends in a research center somewhere in America.

He saw Alan come in to the lounge.

"Hey Alan, what's up?"

"Can't sleep."

 _Well that's unusual._ Alan is usually the first one to fall asleep. After going through a tough rescue he goes back home, freshen up, and he would drift off after.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Alan noticed the files on their father's desk. It was a lesser load than last night. They only had two rescues for the day: Virgil and Gordon dealing with the cranky extraction vehicle and scientists were stuck, while he and Scott save the crew workers in a building about to blow, and he had to use the Skypod. He thought about that rescue...

"Are you sure, Alan?"

Alan sat on the edge of the desk and sighed. "About the rescue earlier, few people didn't make it. I almost got them, Scott, but I was too late. I've been watching people die in front of us ever since and I can't move on from that. I've been thinking about it a lot."

"At least you did your best, Allie," Scott held his little brother's hand. "You worked hard. Of course we have to save them all, but you know we have our limitations."

He nodded. "I just don't want to face that kind of failure again."

"Me too, Alan."

"And not only that kind of failure. I had almost ten revisions of my research paper and it's all the same. Nothing that says 'this part approved' or anything."

Alan's all stressed out. Right, college, and in the most difficult part of college life is to make a research paper publishable. It's hell week for him. That's why he's been acting quite different lately.

"My life has been tough for a while now," he sighed into his hands. "Not a lot can surprise me anymore, not even a single positive feedback."

"There will be, Alan. If you need help with your paper, you can ask me, or Virgil, or John. John and his friends had the best thesis in college, you know. Never give up hope, little brother, maybe it'll be approved one day. I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks, Scott."

Alan stared at the files on the desk again. Then he noticed the bottle of whisky at the left side of the desk. Scott glanced at what his little brother was looking at. _Oh, shit, I should've kept that before someone sees it. Now I got caught by my youngest brother._

"Again? I thought you don't drink anymore, and here you are."

"How did- who told you about that?"

"Virgil told me."

Scott sighed. Maybe he forgot to keep the bottle again.

Alan grabbed the bottle, examining the label. It was a single malt whisky. The alcohol percentage was a bit high for his preference. He was still used to beers.

"You want one?"

"Um..."

Alan felt like he wanted one, after all the stress in college and tough rescues, and failed ones too. It's just that he has never shared an alcoholic drink with Scott. Besides, he's 21. He's now involved with conversations that he had to learn more about, since it's mostly about adult life.

"Yeah, sure," he replied.

Scott moved his files to the left side of the desk. He picked up two glasses from the cabinet located under and placed them at the center. He poured a little on each glass, and passed one to Alan. They clinked glasses and then they took the shot. Alan didn't like the drink he just had.

"Bullshit," he blurted out, and he realized that his eldest brother was looking at him after that sudden profanity. "Sorry. But it helped, thanks, Scott."

"Why don't we try with a few chips?"

"Sure."

Scott went to the kitchen and opened the cupboard.

"I'd go for plain tonight," he heard his brother.

He grabbed a small bag of plain salted multigrain chips. He headed back to the desk and passed it to him. "All yours."

"And you?"

"I'm fine without it."

He poured another to each glass and they both took another shot. Alan ate a few of the chips to ease off the bitterness of the drink. "It's a good match. Thanks."

"I used to do the same back then."

"What was your combo?"

"Salted chips with a few shots of brandy. I used to have a favorite."

"You still have it now?"

"Unfortunately, no. I had the last shot many months ago."

Alan was just like him back then. He had to deal with a lot of stress. Difference is that he drank a lot more.

They had a few talks and drank two more shots.

"Hey Scott, thanks for tonight."

"No problem."

He noticed his little brother yawn.

"And it sure helped."

"Yeah, it did," Alan got off the desk and cleaned up the mess. He headed to the quarters. "And you better get to bed too. See you in the morning."

Of course he had to be reminded. It's 2:30.

"Good night, Alan."

"Good night."

"And don't forget to brush your teeth!"


	2. Familiar Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He tried to find a way out but the voices kept bothering him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somehow related to my Taste fic. But I'd rather go for a younger Alan on this one.
> 
> And this is probably my hardest one yet, and a rough one too.
> 
> This idea has been in my thoughts for a long time.

Alan heard random voices.

It's the same thing for a few days now. The same dark tunnel he entered. He looked around feeling lost. He tried to find a way out but the voices kept bothering him.

The tunnel went darker than before. It had different abstract figures surrounding the interior of the tunnel. Dark and creepy abstract figures. It symbolized his feelings, the hectic days he had been, all the stress, the failures, it scared him, and now he's stuck. The tunnel was endless.

_What's this about? Why am I here for?_

Alan listened to some of the voices. Suddenly he recognized them. They were from the people he saved recently. He heard his brothers too. It was the conversation they had earlier this afternoon... actually it was the fight they had. They were talking about him taking the risk to save the man trapped in space and there's no way to get out.

The voices suddenly changed their tones. It turned into disappointment, grief, anger, it made him upset. It made him regret about what he had done and what he didn't do to save those people. He believed that he did his best to save them, but he was still worried about the failed missions. The families of the victims he didn't save were mad at him. They didn't understand. They didn't trust him anymore. One said that he should be the one who didn't make it.

And there were screams too. Screams of people in distress. Screams of people falling into their doom. Scott blasting through the comms to check if he's okay after one hell of a rescue he just had. It took almost a minute not to respond to his brother. That rescue almost put his life in danger. The abstract figures got creepier, signifying that moment.

The voices grew louder. The screams caused a big yellathon and it made him even more scared. He fell on the ground. He got up and ran as fast as he could to get away. The screams caused a great effect in the tunnel and Alan fell over again. He covered his ears and begged for the voices to stop. He tried to scream for help but nothing came out.

_Stop... enough of this, please... I can't take it anymore..._

He curled up like a ball, with his head down, still covering his ears, almost tearing up, begging for the chaos to stop.

_Someone... please... help me..._

The voices minimized their volumes. Alan looked around and sighed in relief. He stood up and slowly walked to find a way out of the never ending tunnel. Then suddenly the voices started to grow louder again. He covered his ears and looked back.

_No, no, no, no, please, no!_

Scarier features appeared on the tunnel. He ran as fast as he can until he fell down a hole. It was a long way down, and then he was about to crash...

He suddenly woke up and fell from the couch.

* * *

Scott looked around the lounge while working on the reports. He noticed Alan's laptop on the table, charged and on sleep mode, his tablet on the floor (guess he dropped it when he fell asleep), and his papers piled up on the left. That must've been his workplace for now.

Scott suddenly heard a thud. He got up from his father's desk.

"Alan?"

He rushed to see if his little brother is all right.

He heard a soft whimper.

"Alan?"

His brother was sobbing on the floor, faced down with his hand covering his tearful eyes. Scott sat down beside him, his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Alan, are you okay?"

"I ca-... I c-... I..." his breathing hitched. "I can't... I can't do this anymore..."

Thinking about the rescue, the failures he faced, and the stress he had must have hurt him, it caused him a horrible nightmare.

"I can't handle this anymore, Scott. I'm scared..."

Scott hugged him tight. Alan buried his face on his brother's shirt, soaking it with his tears. Scott rested his chin on top of his head, closing his eyes and rubbing his brother's back.

"It's okay, Allie. It's okay. I'm here."


End file.
